46. Good Samaritan

[Pastor Ralph]

Please share your thoughts on one or more of the questions in this lesson. 

[hanks]

1. If you were to select three themes that this passage discusses, what would they be? What is the chief theme? 
The first theme is that we are to show love and compassion for our neighbour, as depicted by the Samaritan. It is a love which describes a supernatural, self-less, sacrificial love that is only possible through the help of the Holy Spirit. We are to love God, and then to love our neighbour who is made in His image, as we love ourselves. The second theme is to show us who our neighbour is. Our neighbour is anyone we encounter in our daily activities and is regardless of race, religion, nationality, or culture, who we are able to help in their time of need. The third theme is to show us that it’s not enough to see a need. We must do something about it, and not move on with hardness of heart and be insensitive to that need. But, what we do is dependent upon what we see, and what we see is determined by who we are. Are we responding to the love of God that He has for us? Similar to the Samaritan, when we see a need, if possible, we are to give generously and freely, without expecting anything in return. The chief theme is to show us our need for a Saviour. The law demanded total devotion to God and to love one’s neighbour as oneself. Unless this is a constant life pattern we will not have eternal life. No way could we ever hope to do this continually. Maybe a one off now and then. On our own this all would be an impossible task. As believers, we are all sinners saved by grace and in dire need of a Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ. Eternal life is only for sinners who acknowledge their lost condition and who are saved by God's grace.
 

[hanks]

2. How is it possible to be able to correctly recite the greatest commandments in the Bible (10:27-28), and still not have them "installed" in your life? 
This can happen when we are spiritually blinded by our own intellectual pride and self-righteousness. As often happens, the religious person will often ask questions that they already know the answers to. We see this here. One could probably ask this lawyer the same question in the middle of the night and he would correctly answer (Deut 6:5 and Lev 19:18). Jesus knew that people such as the Pharisees and this lawyer thought they did a superb job of keeping the law, and in keeping the law they would merit entrance into the kingdom of God. We also know that Jesus tried to get people to see that if they really understood the law, they would see how it exposes their sin and their need of forgiveness. Head knowledge when accompanied by a determined stubbornness of the heart is the most dangerous state for our soul to be in. Jesus said, “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them” (John 13:17). To know these truths concerning humility and unselfishness and service is one thing, but one can know them and never practice them. The real value and blessedness lie in doing them! 
 

[hanks]

3. Have you ever heard a Christian try to justify a less-than-Christian attitude or action? Why do we constantly try to justify our actions? What motivates justifying ourselves?
There is no person who could say with perfect truth, that they love God with all their heart, and with all their soul, and with all their strength, and with all their mind. And that they love their neighbour as themselves. But this is not all. They must do this all the time! This should teach us of our need for Christ’s righteousness. We must seek His grace so that the love of God and man may become ruling principles in our lives. Only in the cross can we see the grace that covers all our sin and defeat the constant tendency toward self-righteousness in our hearts. It is far easier to justify ourselves by comparing ourselves with one another than it is to recognize that we cannot measure up to the standards of a holy God. Because of our self-righteous attitude and false pride, we provide all sorts of excuses rather than admit we cannot do it on our own. We also don’t always face reality and prefer to not get involved. No one but Jesus ever loved God with all of His heart, mind, soul, and strength. No one but Jesus ever loved His neighbour as Himself.
 

[hanks]

4. How did the lawyer justify his actions? How do you think the priest and Levite in this story justified their actions? 
After Jesus’ reply “Do this and you will live”, the lawyer who was an educated man realized that he could not possibly keep that law, and he did not want to admit his own lack of love for both God and his neighbour. He knew that he could not love everyone as himself, so he tries to justify himself by limiting the law’s command. This he does by changing and managing who his neighbour is. There would always be people in his life that he could not love. So, he asks the question “who is my neighbour”. This is an evasive tactic on his part. He knows the word “neighbour” in the Greek means “someone who is near,” and in the Hebrew it means “someone that you have an association with.” This interprets the word in a limited sense, referring to a fellow Jew and would have excluded Samaritans, Romans, and other foreigners. Both the priest and Levite are full of excuses. Some of them being: the Priest had been serving God all week at the temple and was anxious to get home; avoiding defilement from touching a corpse or a Gentile; maybe the bandits are still active in the vicinity and using the victim as bait; it is a very busy road somebody will soon come along and help the man. In actual fact this man was a nuisance to avoid. 
 

[hanks]

5. Extra Credit: Jesus wasn't reciting an historical incident; He was creating a hypothetical incident for teaching purposes. Why do you think that the hero of the story was a Samaritan? What was Jesus' point by including the Samaritan? How do you think the lawyer felt about it? 
The Samaritan was the hero of the story because he was the only one who had compassion on the injured man. Instead of passing by as the priest and Levite, he saw the man not as an enemy, and shows mercy by taking a risk in case this was a trap. He used his time, his money, and even pledging to pay all further expenses if needed. I think Jesus included a Samaritan to show the contrast and difference between a hated enemy of the Jews and the two Jewish religious men. For Jesus to introduce the Samaritan as the caring person, after a priest and a Levite had neglected mercy, must have been intended as an especially biting commentary on what passed for "mercy" among the Jewish scholars. For us the point is that Jesus has found us helpless and has rescued us at great personal cost in the showing of mercy. The lawyer must have been repulsed and shocked by Jesus’ choice of a Samaritan as the third passer-by. He and the other Jewish listeners must have expected the next person to be a Pharisee or even a lawyer/scribe. The purpose is to crush the lawyer’s self-righteousness and pride. 
 

[hanks]

6. What does the parable of the Good Samaritan illustrate? What does it teach us about love? About mercy? About selfishness? 
It answers the question, “What must I do to inherit everlasting life?” Proving that being a neighbour, and doing this to perfection, and besides, loving God with a love that is also perfect, would indeed result in eternal life. But of course, such perfection is impossible. It is impossible for us, by our own action, to fulfil the demands of God's law: “a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ’ (Gal 2:16). Jesus Christ by the substitutionary sacrifice of Himself and by His life of perfect obedience, has done for us what we ourselves would never have been able to do. He has declared us not guilty and has offered us freedom from sin and power to do His will, and live the Christian life with the help of the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:1-3). For salvation we must, by God’s grace and the power of His Spirit, place our trust in Christ (John 3:16, John 3:36). And now, out of gratitude for the salvation which, because of Christ's merits, we have received as a free gift, we must now, guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit, live a life to the glory of God. This means that even though while on earth we cannot love God and the neighbour perfectly, yet in principle we will begin to live in accordance with His law. Empowered by the Holy Spirit we will, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbour as yourself.'" We will truly love God and our neighbour, have mercy and show compassion to our neighbour. Even love our neighbour as ourselves. 
 

[hanks]

7. How are we to emulate the Good Samaritan by "doing likewise"? What is God speaking to you from this passage? 
The ultimate Neighbour was Jesus, whose compassion contrasted with the Jewish religious leaders who had no compassion on those who would die in their sin. He has blessed me abundantly and as a Christian I should emulate Him by loving my neighbour, having mercy, and showing compassion as needed. God has brought to my attention the self-centred selfish life I live, and that I need to start putting other people’s needs before my own. In this passage He has taught me that I should be a neighbour to anyone I meet who has a need that I can satisfy.  
 

[Irmela]

1.  If you were to select three themes that this passage discusses, what would they be? What is the chief theme?

Showing MERCY ...   It goes beyond just loving, it is caring having mercy, in fact truly going the second mile. "Love your neighbour as yourself" . 

Theme of JUSTICE by caring for a 'neighbour' ...   going far beyond just the one we know or are familiar with. It is a stranger. Not just a stranger, a hurt one, could even be that danger is still lurking in the vicinity. Even beyond just that also on top of it all overlapping the racial issue. So put bluntly we find that a neighbour can be one of a different race or a hurt person (where you might have to go out of your way to help him back on his feet). (You have to be prepared to sacrifice time and money). Here we would say the theme is "Do to OTHERS as you would have them do to you". Showing justice by not just being kind to your own but to a hurt total stranger, who could under normal circumstances be termed an enemy. 

Third theme would be FAITHFULNESS. The Samaritan did not just drop him off. He cared for him as best he could and left him in good hands, promising to return and pay whatever was outstanding. 

The chief theme would be MERCY as it envelopes the other two as what was done was truly Loving the neighbour as himself. 

 

 

[Irmela]

2.  How is it possible to be able to correctly recite the greatest commandments in the Bible (10:27-28), and still not have them "installed" in your life?

Head knowledge is easy to have, it is using that head knowledge and putting it into practice that "installs" it into ones life. 

Knowledge can also be interpreting something in a certain way. Not necessarily the same way as everyone else. For example loving your neighbour as yourself, could be taken as your fellow-students, those in your community, your race, your class and not go beyond that, (the lawyer was taking it as fellow-upperclass-Jews ...  not the outcasts of society) That was why it was not installed in his heart. Only for a certain group. 

Jesus clarified the meaning of neighbour with this parable, in no uncertain terms

 

[Irmela]

3.  Have you ever heard a Christian try to justify a less-than-Christian attitude or action? Why do we constantly try to justify our actions? What motivates justifying ourselves?

Yes, we do make excuses to try to cover up actions done or not done. Especially when looking back on that happening. The excuses etc are then made so one doesn't feel or look so bad or un-Christianlike about it. 

We do try to justify ourselves because we do want to walk in Christ's footsteps (I do anyway). Sometimes my actions fall far short. I think this is what motivates the justifying of the actions. Trying to make the whole happening not look so bad. 

[Irmela]

4.  How did the lawyer justify his actions? How do you think the priest and Levite in this story justified their actions?

The lawyer justifies his actions in that he knows he would help someone who is close to him, even maybe go as far as a fellow-Jew (maybe not quite, depending on that person's standing ...  what if it was a beggar, or known prostitute, or leper). Everything depended on his definition of a neighbour. 

The priest and Levite both worked at the temple and by helping  someone like this and he die on their hands, they would be defiled and not be allowed to complete their service as set out for them. So not doing anything to him they felt was ok.... Like that they would still qualify to complete their duties as laid out to them. 

[Irmela]

5.  Why do you think that the hero of the story was a Samaritan? What was Jesus' point by including the Samaritan? How do you think the lawyer felt about it?

The Samaritans were not exactly 'loved' by the Jews. They were looked down upon as half-breeds and heretics.  Having chosen the Samaritan as the hero makes the point of the role as neighbour very clear.

(A person in need remains a person in need , be it a despised fellow-citizen, or someone looked up to as an upper-class civilian) Just as the person in need can be anyone so also the helper can be anyone. 

The lawyer no doubt learnt very clearly that it does not help to try to justify one's  actions when one's conscience actually tells us differently. I guess he felt bad about previous actions. 

[Irmela]

6.  What does the parable of the Good Samaritan illustrate? What does it teach us about love? About mercy? About selfishness?

It illustrates that we are all people, nevermind race or whatever. We all have needs, from the greatest to the smallest. We all will come to the point sometime in our "walk" were we will have to choose to be a help to someone over and above our selfishness or to leave the trapped person be, and show our terrible selfishness. The parable illustrates quite clearly that our neighbour is not necessary a friend. (We cannot depend on human beings. They fail us again and again). Help comes from the unexpected. 

Love and mercy go beyond racial boundaries. It stretches beyond enemy lines. It is far beyond normal. 

Selfishness is rife even amidst the so called godly society of people. 

[Irmela]

7.  How are we to emulate the Good Samaritan by "doing likewise"? What is God speaking to you from this passage?
To show love to those who come across our path and not to ignore them and look the other way. At the robots there are often "beggars" hoping for money. Many use this for drugs or glue. Some are genuine. We have been requested by authority to not really support them. It is just so hard. I find it so hard to look them in the face and say "Sorry, i don't have". How can I be a neighbour? 

[Katy]

Q1. The first theme would be ‘ Who is my neighbour’, Jesus shows us here that our neighbours are not just people who live near us. They are all people, irrespective of who they are or where they come from. The second theme is ‘How am I to treat my neighbour’. I am to treat my neighbour with love, mercy and compassion, just as Jesus would do . This parable gives us an example to follow, the Samaritan shows love to a man who is effectively his enemy as Jews and Samaritans were enemies at this time. The Samaritan goes way beyond what could be expected of anyone in these circumstances. He shows mercy and compassion by putting his own feelings to one side and caring for a man in dire straits. The third theme is a challenge ‘ Would I have acted in the same way, or would my actions have been motivated by selfishness’. Unfortunately I don’t think I would have been that loving , compassionate and merciful. I may have cared for him at the roadside, but that would have been the extent of my caring. My actions would have been probably fitted in around where I was going or what I was doing at the time. The chief theme is ‘ Are my good deeds motivated by my love of God and my neighbour or limited by my selfishness and love of self’

Q2.Being able to recite a verses from the Bible is easy enough it is truly understanding it’s contents and applying to our lives is the most difficult part. There are many people who are Biblical scholars who study for a life time, but never move beyond the head knowledge contained in the pages of Scripture. In this parable the ‘expert in the  law’ is seeking to test Jesus and find out how much or how little Jesus knows. He has no interest in deepening his understanding or truly learning about Jesus. However Jesus shows him that He is the one in control of the situation. This situation of only having head knowledge rather than heart knowledge often comes from a heart which is full of pride and haughtiness rather than a heart of humility and openness to being taught by God through the Holy Spirit.

Q3.Unfortunately I have often tried to justify my less than Christian acts to myself or to my children when they have challenged me on occasions. I try to justify them because I know they are not right! I know the Lord would not approve, sometimes it is afterwards I realise it was not the wisest thing to do. My motives for justifying myself are my pride, not want others to think badly of me and realising that the action is not pleasing to the Lord.

Q4.The lawyer seeks to justify himself by asking Jesus to clarify the question of ‘who is my neighbour’? He wanted Jesus to agree that his understanding was correct which would make it easy to love his neighbour. His interpretation was that his neighbour was his Jewish neighbour from the same class or social standing as himself not those who were poor or in need. The Priest and the Levite in the parable did not want to get involved in this mans situation. They may have justified themselves by think they were important men and couldn’t possibly make themselves “unclean “ by touching the poor injured man lying at the side of the road. But they didn’t do anything else either ie get him help etc. So although these men were involved in temple business they still ignored the Torah, which tells them to Love your neighbour as yourself. Lev 19 v 18.

Q5.Jesus was making a strong point in this parable by using a Samaritan as the one who cared enough to attend to the mans needs when he was in bad circumstances. The Jews looked down on the Samaritans considering them “half breeds” following the intermarriage which took place after the Assyrians capture Israel in 721BC. This hatred was reciprocated by the Samaritans. By using a Samaritan as the one who helped, following the priest and the Levite who passed by Jesus could not have made a stronger contrast. The lawyer could have been in no doubt that Jesus meant that we are to love not just our own ‘ kind ‘ of neighbours but also those who are different and even those we consider to be our enemies.

Q6.This parable teaches us that all people of every race, culture, religion or social background are our neighbours. We must love our neighbours as ourselves. We must do this by sharing what we have with others , that can be time, goods, finance, etc. We must show mercy by not allowing our prejudices get in the way of helping others. We must not judge people, there may be a lot going on that we know nothing about. Judgement is for God not us. We must not allow our selfishness to get in the way of helping others. Sometimes it is so easy to make an excuse rather than discipling ourselves to do something. It is important to recognize our selfishness and combat it with the Lord’s help. 
Q7. I think I need to overcome my selfishness and look beyond my own situation to where I can help my neighbour. Looking beyond my own circle is a challenge I shall take on , to see where I can be useful.

[haar]

1. If you were to select three themes that this passage discusses, what would they be? What is the chief theme?

The three themes are - Love Compassion and Mercy

I think the chief is love because love will make us to show mercy and more.

2.    How is it possible to be able to correctly recite the greatest commandments in the Bible (10:27-28), and still not have them "installed" in your life?

Head knowledge that is not accompanied by love from the power of the Holy Spirit in us will make us just empty vessels that can not walk our talk

3.    Have you ever heard a Christian try to justify a less-than-Christian attitude or action? Why do we constantly try to justify our actions? What motivates justifying ourselves?

4.    How did the lawyer justify his actions? How do you think the priest and Levite in this story justified their actions?

5.    Extra Credit: Jesus wasn't reciting an historical incident; he was creating a hypothetical incident for teaching purposes. Why do you think that the hero of the story was a Samaritan? What was Jesus' point by including the Samaritan? How do you think the lawyer felt about it?

6.    What does the parable of the Good Samaritan illustrate? What does it teach us about love? About mercy? About selfishness?

7.    How are we to emulate the Good Samaritan by "doing likewise"? What is God speaking to you from this passage?

Edited October 14, 2021 by haar
To add the the third theme the passage discussed namely Compassion and to complete the other questions not done. Unfortunately I could not complete the other questions due to network challenges at my end.

[Godswriter]

If you were to select three themes that this passage discusses, what would they be? What is the chief theme?

Primary theme is Love that is not brotherly but Agape or from God. The secondary one is mercy because the person who is full of mercy will also be full of love. The tertiary one is compassion because when someone who is full of the first two will then act in compassion will act upon the compassion they have as well.

2.    How is it possible to be able to correctly recite the greatest commandments in the Bible (10:27-28), and still not have them "installed" in your life?

It is possible through believing that a person has already done all they need to do in order to be close to God.

3.    Have you ever heard a Christian try to justify a less-than-Christian attitude or action? Why do we constantly try to justify our actions? What motivates justifying ourselves?

Yes severe times at my church there was an older woman who tried justifying her words toward me by saying she was trying to help me but I spoke up after me even writing a note to her and said how can you allow the world we live in to dictate what you said when we are to speak the truth in love and speak with grace and salt and we are not supposed to speak with condemnation and judgement and think that the Lord approved of it.

4.    How did the lawyer justify his actions? How do you think the priest and Levite in this story justified their actions?

He knew what was right and chose to do it anyway knowing that in truth he was being obedient to God in doing so. They justified their actions by choosing to say oh this person is not my neighbor someone else who is willing to dirty their hands will take care of him.

5.    Extra Credit: Jesus wasn't reciting an historical incident; he was creating a hypothetical incident for teaching purposes. Why do you think that the hero of the story was a Samaritan? What was Jesus' point by including the Samaritan? How do you think the lawyer felt about it?I believe it was to teach them what true obedience was. The scribes and the religious folks  believed that they had it all together. The lawyer probably did not approve of what he heard.

6.    What does the parable of the Good Samaritan illustrate? What does it teach us about love? About mercy? About selfishness? That when we serve the least of these we are serving Christ and obeying what He says. It shows us that we are willing to do what the Lord wants even when we are not shy at all about the relationship they have been able to ignore what others are saying about what they do.

7.    How are we to emulate the Good Samaritan by "doing likewise"? What is God speaking to you from this passage?

By choosing to help the least of these like chapter 25 of Matthew says. Which is choosing to do what others won't.

[George L]

If you were to select three themes that this passage discusses, what would they be? Social expectations, rules of lifes role, compassion in the face of your norms. What is the chief theme? Compassion rules in God’s system,

How is it possible to be able to correctly recite the greatest commandments in the Bible (10:27-28), and still not have them "installed" in your life? Seperating self and blessing as a recite the rule and exccuse yourself from perform mercifully to an untouchable.

Have you ever heard a Christian try to justify a less-than-Christian attitude or action? Yes.  Why do we constantly try to justify our actions? We place self feelings above God’s feelings. What motivates justifying ourselves? Intelectual guilt denial.

How did the lawyer justify his actions? Claim to performing to a higher legal standard therefore not having to to the actual performance. How do you think the priest and Levite in this story justified their actions? The chose a convenient interpretation of the law and traditions of their classes as more important than the life of the injured.

Extra Credit: Jesus wasn't reciting an historical incident; he was creating a hypothetical incident for teaching purposes. Why do you think that the hero of the story was a Samaritan? Emphasis on the unimportance of the class of the injured. He could have been a priest. What was Jesus' point by including the Samaritan? The worst in your opinion can act more pleasingbto God than operating by your interpretation of the law is pleasing.How do you think the lawyer felt about it? If he truly saught knowledge he felt blessed to advance. If he was playing intelectual word games he was openly humilliated.

What does the parable of the Good Samaritan illustrate? Compassion counts grately before God. What does it teach us about love? Love is care. About mercy? God prefers mercy rather than judgement. About selfishness? It leaves one in poor standing with God.

How are we to emulate the Good Samaritan by "doing likewise"? We should be looking for opportunities to  be a blessing. What is God speaking to you from this passage? I am facing this type situation in my prayer life. Especially praying for high level politicians, clergy, and others clearly, openly being unrighteous. “When you see them getting ‘theirs’ don’t laugh lest God turn it to you” is not a license to cheer on their destruction if you don’t laugh, it is a clear warning and infact a demand that you interceed for them and their state. Hard to do at first when you hate those excusing lies, deceit, abortion etc. Until you see they are already condemed unless they turn.